Oxford Church Says Nest Sparked Fire

OXFORD, CT — A squirrel nest caught fire inside Riverside Community Church’s chimney during Sunday services, prompting an evacuation but leaving everyone unharmed, according to the church.

The church said all meetings scheduled for this week are canceled while a new chimney liner and furnace are installed. It expects to have heat restored for next Sunday.

The trouble began with a cold sanctuary. The furnace had not started as programmed at 6 a.m., the church wrote in a Facebook post. A congregant who works in heating and cooling found a dead thermostat battery, replaced it and got the furnace running.

During the service, another congregant moved to a back pew to keep his young son away from the stairs. As he was about to sit, he spotted smoke near the chimney, the church said.

Two congregants who work in heating and cooling checked downstairs and outside, then reported smoke coming from the top of the chimney. The building was evacuated and 911 was called.

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Several congregants are volunteer firefighters and helped people calmly leave the building, according to the post. Some went home; others waited in the parking lot.

Volunteers from Riverside and Quaker Farms firehouses climbed onto the roof, extinguished the burning nest and removed it and the squirrel, the church said. They also checked that the building was safe.

“We have never been so grateful for our towns awesome volunteers!” the church wrote.

The squirrel died, according to the post. Congregants said a prayer for it and placed it in the woods.

The church said its old clay chimney liner needs replacement and that it also decided to replace its aging furnace. Both installations are planned for this week.

“We should be back to normal next week!” the church wrote.

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